


Overheard

by AnnaofAza



Series: Hartwin Week [1]
Category: Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
Genre: Eavesdropping, First Time, Gen, Harry Hart Lives, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-20
Updated: 2015-08-20
Packaged: 2018-04-16 06:19:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4614450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnnaofAza/pseuds/AnnaofAza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Harry?...Harry, if it’s you, answer me, you dumb bastard.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Overheard

It’s completely by accident that Merlin discovers Harry is alive. 

Merlin, while cutting away from the feed of Eggsy and the princess, begins the process of clearing his screens full of maps, intel, and satellites. He’s still in contact with Lancelot, just in case; it won’t be the first time that something goes horribly wrong after a sigh of relief.   
  
It’s when his fingers touch the Galahad icon still in the background when Merlin hesitates.   
  
He sighs. He hasn’t wanted to break the connection with Harry—out of either a minuscule amount of hope or getting caught up saving the world—but now, it’s time. Valentine shot Harry Hart in the head, and there’s no way—  
  
A soft groan interrupts him.  
  
What. The. Bloody. Hell. 

“Harry?” Merlin foolishly asks, voice forcibly calm. Another groan. “Harry, if it’s you, answer me, you dumb bastard.”   
  
Another groan. The screen shivers, then skips, and fingers in the faintest edges tremble. Merlin watches, with his hand over his mouth, when the view flips upside-down to reveal a white ceiling. He hears a quiet curse as the screen sets upright, aimed at a familiar square face. What little Merlin can see beneath the remarkably cracked lenses are watery brown eyes. Merlin also notices a tease of stiff whiteness—bandages—near where the bullet entered.   
  
“…Merlin.” There’s a short cough, and a scratchy voice gasps, putting as much energy as it possibly can into enunciating syllables. “Valentine…you have to stop…SIM card implants…”  
  
“I know,” Merlin interrupts, quickly. “We’ve done it, Harry. Me and Lancelot and…Eggsy. The world is safe.”   
  
It’s silent.   
  
For a horrible minute and a half, Merlin fears that, like a restless ghost, he’s now said all Harry wanted to hear, and that his friend had now moved on. _I should have drawn it out_. Merlin wishes he wasn’t as succinct as he’s always been.   
  
“…Eggsy…” The tone is a blend of relief and hesitation. “Is he…”   
  
Reassuring his old friend, Merlin says, “Don’t worry, Harry. Your protege’s quite all right. He actually—”   
  
_“Harry?”_  
  
Merlin startles at the familiar voice. He looks at the still-visible icon on his screen. Even though the image of the princess’s naked bum is gone, it appears that the feed wasn’t quite cut off all the way.   
  
_Shit._  
  
“Eggsy?”   
  
The boy’s voice is as if someone kicked him hard in the chest and made both his heart and lungs stop. “You’re…alive?”   
  
There’s a clear groan, then, “Yes.”   
  
Merlin does what he should have done the minute he confirmed Harry was alive—tracing the signal, contacting the necessary retrieval team, and providing necessary documents and potential bribery information, if needed—as Eggsy makes stuttered excuses to the indignant princess in the background. Harry, for now, is once again quiet. The gaze in his eyes looks decidedly wary.   
  
He’s right to have been. As soon as Merlin hears the click of the cell door lock, Eggsy shouts so loudly that Merlin winces: “What the fuck, Harry? What the actual _fuck_?”   
  
The quartermaster sighs. He’s hoped to handle this a little more delicately—Eggsy had been utterly fearless and determined on his first mission, and it didn’t take much for two and two to equal four. Saving the world definitely was a major factor, but having the (possibly only) man who gave him a second chance—with an utterly full and honest conviction—get recently murdered definitely was another.   
  
Merlin still can’t see too much, but he swears that the corner of Harry’s mouth trembles the slightest. “Eggsy. Do try to calm yourself.”   
  
“Calm myself!” Merlin winces again, adjusting the volume. “How can I—you said—you were shot—I saw it on your computer!”   
  
“How?” He and Merlin ask simultaneously.   
  
Eggsy scoffs impatiently. “I guessed your password! I saw everything, Harry! I thought—” Merlin can hear him clearly now, along with heavy footfalls up the airplane’s ramp. “I thought you were dead.”   
  
“Harry’s in the hospital near the church,” Merlin explains, turning so he can face the enraged young man now storming towards him. He cuts the earpiece connection—for real, this time–so he doesn’t have to deal with the inane yelling into his eardrums. “Our people are going to bring him home.”   
  
If there was a seat, Eggsy surely would have taken it. But for now, he slouches against the wall, takes off his glasses, and turns the lenses towards his face. “Can you see me?”   
  
Merlin watches the face jerk up and down. “Yes.” A pause. “I regret very much what I said, Eggsy. Helping you was not…as simple as a debt to your father.” Another pause. Eggsy’s practically smashed his eyelids up against the glass. His hands are trembling slightly, causing the frames to shiver. “I care…very much for you.”   
  
And suddenly, Merlin begins to understand.   
  
Eggsy can only mouth something that suspiciously looks like  _you bastard._ For once, he’s speechless.   
  
“You saved the world,” Harry continues, voice growing softer. “I’m so proud of you, Eggsy.”   
  
Eggsy appears choked up, and Merlin subtly glances at the corner of his eye as the boy manages a watery grin. “Thanks, Harry.” He clears his throat several times, before managing to blurt out, rather lamely, “I’m glad you’re not dead.”  
  
Harry lets out a weak chuckle. “As am I.”   
  
Suddenly, Eggsy seems to notice Merlin, awkwardly sitting in his chair. His face turns bright red. “Uh. Yeah. Listen, we should continue this another time. When you’re back.” He coughs, adjusting the cap that isn’t there. “I can…I could keep up your house until you come back. Tidy up, maybe add something else in the fridge besides leftovers and martini ingredients. I still have the key.”   
  
_The house key?_  Merlin’s eyebrows raise several inches.   
  
Harry faintly smiles back, and it’s strange to see such naked adoration in his eyes. “I appreciate that very much, Eggsy.”   
  
“Well, I…” Eggsy gives an embarrassed sort of shrug. “Manners maketh man, yeah?”   
  
The other man laughs again, but his voice now seems very tired, if with a trace of amusement. “Exactly. You are a true gentleman.”   
  
Eggsy’s now glancing over at Merlin, who’s pretending to focus on pushing buttons on the control panel. “Um. Thanks. Listen, I gotta go. Take care of yourself, right?”   
  
“You, too, Eggsy.”   
  
There’s a long pause, before Eggsy replies, “Yeah. Um. Goodbye for now?”   
  
“Yes.” Another, longer pause. “Goodbye, Eggsy.”  
  
Merlin rolls his eyes. He’s reminded of the cooing between two members of the tech department—"No, you get off the phone!“ "No, you hang up first!"—and hastens to interrupt: "Harry, they’re nearly there. Try to get some rest. Plenty of it. We’ll all fill you in when you recover.”   
  
Harry nods again, and begins to close his eyes.   
  
Eggsy watches anxiously, one hand on the back of Merlin’s chair. He bites his lip, before saying, “Harry…I—”   
  
“Good lord!” Merlin and Eggsy jump at a young, female voice. Lancelot sounds impatient, and Merlin quietly groans at the blinking alert. Of course. “Just let him sleep already!”   
  
Before she clicks away, Merlin can hear her muttering, “Idiots." 


End file.
